Gastro forces Brisbane school to close

A gastro outbreak has left students and teachers from a Brisbane private school in hospital and forced the college to close.

Queensland Health is trying to track down the source of the gastroenteritis outbreak, with students and teachers from Mt Maria College falling ill after an excursion to state parliament and the law courts in Brisbane's CBD.

Principal Glenn McConville said the school would be closed on Friday, as cleaners disinfect common areas. He hopes students will be back in class on Monday.

He said two Year 10 classes went on a day trip to parliament house and the courts on Tuesday, and by Wednesday about 15 students and two teachers were ill, with some winding up in hospital.

"We found out late on Wednesday that four or five students who went on that excursion had gone to hospital for some sort of gastro infection. They were really, really sick," he told ABC radio.

He said the decision to close the school was made in consultation with health authorities, who were working to determine the source of the outbreak.